That one line has always stuck in my head. It comes from a poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes. Look it up if you have never read it.
From my interpretation of the poem, it's about a mother sharing her life experiences with her son. She is telling him that life hasn't always been easy but that hasn't stopped her from climbing. She tells him to never give up because life only gets harder once you stop trying.
For some reason, though, when this line pops into my head a different thought comes to mind. It always reminds me to never judge a person before you really know their story. Sometimes we look at a person and think to ourselves about the amazing life that the person has. A perfect family; a perfect job; a perfect image.
Even though it may seem that way, we never really know what is going on mentally or physically with that person. We never know what they may have been through before to obtain this "perfect" family, job or image. For some, this could be marriage number 3. After working for 16 years, the person may have finally found the perfect match in their career. As far as image, it's not necessarily about looks, more about confidence. The right amount of confidence gives off a great image to people. It's inviting. It makes that person beautiful. So we may not know that that person has previous years of body issues and finally found the help to overcome those issues.
Take the time out to speak to someone that you may think has that "perfect" thing that you want. You may just be surprised as what you find out.
What do you think about "Mother to Son" bu Hughes? Do you have a different interpretation? Have you recently had the chance to ask someone how they achieved that "perfect" thing and you were surprised at their answer?
This is so true. you never know the struggles someone faced to get where they are. good post!
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